The present disclosure relates generally a representational state transfer (REST) system, and more specifically, to a modified REST application programming interface (API) that includes a customized GraphQL API framework.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Cloud computing relates to the sharing of computing resources that are generally accessed via the Internet. In particular, a cloud computing infrastructure allows users, such as individuals and/or enterprises, to access a shared pool of computing resources, such as servers, storage devices, networks, applications, and/or other computing based services. By doing so, users are able to access computing resources on demand that are located at remote locations, which resources may be used to perform a variety computing functions (e.g., storing and/or processing large quantities of computing data). For enterprise and other organization users, cloud computing provides flexibility in accessing cloud computing resources without accruing large up-front costs, such as purchasing expensive network equipment or investing large amounts of time in establishing a private network infrastructure. Instead, by utilizing cloud computing resources, users are able redirect their resources to focus on their enterprise's core functions.
In modern communication networks, examples of cloud computing services a user may utilize include so-called infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS) technologies. IaaS is a model in which providers abstract away the complexity of hardware infrastructure and provide rapid, simplified provisioning of virtual servers and storage, giving enterprises access to computing capacity on demand. In such an approach, however, a user may be left to install and maintain platform components and applications. SaaS is a delivery model that provides software as a service rather than an end product. Instead of utilizing a local network or individual software installations, software is typically licensed on a subscription basis, hosted on a remote machine, and accessed by client customers as needed. For example, users are generally able to access a variety of enterprise and/or information technology (IT)-related software via a web browser. PaaS acts an extension of SaaS that goes beyond providing software services by offering customizability and expandability features to meet a user's needs. For example, PaaS can provide a cloud-based developmental platform for users to develop, modify, and/or customize applications and/or automating enterprise operations without maintaining network infrastructure and/or allocating computing resources normally associated with these functions.
Such cloud computing resources may include configuration management databases (CMDBs), which store information regarding Configuration Items (CIs), (e.g., manufacturer, vendor, location, and so forth), as well as alerts, service metrics, and maintenance status information related to these CIs. Certain CMDBs may include representational state transfer (REST) web services that enable client devices to access server-side resources based on a set of stateless operations that are defined by the REST application programming interface (API). REST servers generally utilize existing Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) methods (e.g., GET, POST) to receive and to respond to client requests to manipulate representations of resources. However, the standard REST API has particular limitations that can hinder application development.
In particular, it is presently recognized that the standard REST API lacks data types and data structures, which can result in confusion with respect to appropriate data formats during development. As such, an application developer may be responsible for determining data formats that a particular REST service expects to receive or will deliver. Additionally, the standard REST API does not support data hierarchy. As a result, a REST service can return a large volume of data, including undesired ancillary data that is several hierarchical levels below desired data. For example, a client device may want to present an identifier and a status associated with an incident (INT) within a CMDB. However, when the client device accesses corresponding REST service, the client device may also receive a large volume of unnecessary data (e.g., notes regarding the INT), which can substantially increase the processing, storage, and communication overhead of the operation. Furthermore, the standard REST API does not include robust support for versioning. That is, as a standard REST service is developed over time, each version of the REST service is typically defined as a separate REST endpoint (e.g., “api/now/table/v1”, “/api/now/table/v2”, “api/now/table/v3”, and so forth). As such, once the various REST endpoints are brought online, it can be difficult to retire an older version in favor of a new version without potentially impacting the ability of client applications to function properly.
GraphQL is a publicly released query language available since 2015. See, e.g., https://graphql.org/. Compared to other query languages, GraphQL is hierarchical and generally enables queries to have greater specificity, which can substantially reduce overhead involving querying and transferring superfluous or undesired data. Additionally, GraphQL is a strongly typed query language, which enables developers to clearly define the data types for fields of a query. However, since GraphQL was designed as an alternative to using REST services, the standard REST API does not include support for GraphQL queries.